Madeline Wong Throws First Pitch at Boston Red Sox Game

A respected leader among Chinese Americans and women, Madeline C. Wong’s accomplishments include the founding of one of America’s largest and oldest Asian dining meccas, her work in the insurance field, and her many contributions to the community and charity work. And all of her accomplishments were celebrated on April 17, when Wong was given the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a Boston Red Sox baseball game, a feat very few people have the chance to perform in their lifetimes.

“It was an honor for them to ask me to throw the ball,” Wong said, in a phone interview. “I had a little bit of practice and I threw the ball right at the catcher.”

The opportunity to toss the first pitch came as a result of Wong’s immense success as a salesperson for John Hancock, her employer for several decades, according to Wong.

Wong, a John Hancock Hall of Fame inductee, started at the company in 1952, and at the time of the induction, was the only woman to be given the honor.

“I started in 1952, and in 1982 I was the number one at John Hancock in the nation for sales,” Wong said.

According to John Hancock’s website, Wong is the mother of six children – Linda, Donald, Robert, Stanley, Elizabeth, and Andrew – all of whom have participated in the family business as well as gone on to careers in government and other sectors.